Both Rodolfo Paglialunga and Jil Sander’s chief executive officer Alessandra Bettari released encouraging and positive notes about the departure, as well as their work together at Jil Sander, with Paglialunga emphasizing the fact that he helped “enrich the brand’s history and legacy,’ and Bettari praising Paglialunga’s “impeccable work and respect for the DNA of the house.’ According to Bettari, those at Sander’s headquarters “decided to terminate our professional journey with Rodolfo Paglialunga together with the designer himself”.

Paglialunga, who joined the fashion house in 2014, has left an undeniable mark on Jil Sander’s legacy, with his collections often regarded as some of the most eclectic. Although he had big shoes to fill, as he was appointed Jil Sander’s creative director after Jil Sander herself had exited her eponymous label for the third time, he met everybody’s expectations.

“He is the most fitting designer to write the new pages of the Jil Sander story. He has the right characteristics and the experience to evolve the Jil Sander brand in a new direction while respecting its essential traits’, former Jil Sander chief executive officer Alessandro Cremonesi told WWD back in 2015. Before taking the helm at Jil Sander, Rodolfo Paglialunga had worked at Prada for 13 years, which helped him better understand the industry, and then at Vionnet.

Who will thus now fill Paglialunga’s big shoes? According to some reliable sources close to WWD, which first reported the news in January, creative husband and wife Lucie and Luke Meier are about to succeed Paglialunga who, in return, has yet to reveal his next move.

With a strong passion for foreign cultures, contemporary art and fashion, Virginia is an enthusiastic editor and translator. When she is not writing, she likes to read books and eat chocolate (at the same time). She also likes to take too many pictures and collect too many comics.